Rich Scarcella's four-cast

With the first Saturday October here, it's time for the conference seasons and the picks in the four-cast to kick into high gear.

The weekend features five games pairing Top 25 teams, including No. 22 Penn State's Big Ten opener at No. 17 Iowa.

It's hard to imagine what the fever pitch will be like in Tuscaloosa, Ala., where No. 1 Alabama takes on No. 7 Florida in a rematch of the last two Southeastern Conference title games.

The best game, though, might be the Pac-10 matchup at Eugene, Ore., between No. 9 Stanford and No. 4 Oregon, teams that score points like pinball machines (OK, I'm old).

The annual Red River Rivalry between No. 8 Oklahoma and No. 21 Texas is usually the top game of the weekend, but it's taken second billing after the Longhorns were routed by UCLA last week.

Wisconsin (minus-2) at Michigan State, Saturday, 3:30, ABC: The visiting team has not done well in this series in recent years. But Badgers quarterback Scott Tolzien will pick apart the Spartans' weak secondary. Wisconsin's defense slowed Arizona State, which gained nearly 600 yards against Oregon last week.

Wisconsin 31, Michigan State 27.Texas (plus-31/2) vs. Oklahoma, Saturday, 3:30, ESPN: The Sooners have beaten Air Force and Cincinnati by a total of five points in their last two games. The Longhorns are coming off a blowout loss to UCLA. Which team has a bigger chip on its shoulder? Oklahoma has dropped four of its last five to Texas.Oklahoma 21, Texas 16.

Florida (plus-8) at Alabama, Saturday, 8, CBS: The Crimson Tide proved its mettle last week, coming from behind to beat Arkansas. The Gators allowed South Florida to run for 244 yards, which is not a good sign for a team trying to stop Mark Ingram and Trent Richardson.

Alabama 27, Florida 14.

Stanford (plus-7) at Oregon, Saturday, 8, ESPN2: This one could take awhile because the teams have combined to average nearly 96 points a game. Quarterback Andrew Luck and the Cardinal handed the Ducks their only Pac-10 loss last year. Oregon is 12-1 at home and has beaten Stanford in seven of the last eight meetings.Oregon 45, Stanford 34.